What is the point of a chamber of commerce?
That's the question Pilot Point Chamber of Commerce President Jimerson Adkins focused on answering during his State of the Chamber presentation at the Lone Star Lodge and Marina on March 20.
'It represents the interests of business in a particular area,' he said. 'Chambers of commerce are typically made up of local businesses and professionals who come together to promote economic growth, support local business development, provide resources and advocacy for their members. And that's all true, and that's a great summary, but the chamber … is really so much more than this.'
He touched on the community events—the Buddy Bass Fishing Tournament, golf tournament and companion events to the city's Pilot Point Market events—that the Chamber provides.
'We aren't just concerned with connecting our business community to the local community,' Adkins said. 'We also help connect our business community to the city.'
The Chamber also works to advocate for policy changes that benefit local economies, he added.
Another of the Chamber's initiatives he mentioned is the educational series.
'[It] provides opportunities to learn a lot of skills that will help your business grow,' Adkins said. 'You've done everything from accounting and QuickBooks staff to social media marketing, … all kinds of fun stuff.'
Supporting fellow Chamber businesses is another key benefit of membership, he said.
'We've got to hold each other accountable to make sure that we're a reliable and trustworthy business so that we can feel comfortable [promoting each other],' Adkins said.
He also touched on the growth the Chamber has seen under the management of Executive Director Evon Lusk and the board of directors.
'Over the past three years, our chamber membership numbers have more than doubled in size,' Adkins said. 'Just think about that for a moment. The Chamber of Commerce has been around for three-quarters of a century, and just the past three years, it has more than doubled in size.'
For more information about the Pilot Point Chamber, visit pilotpoint. org.
